Green accreditation scheme

More and more accommodation, attractions and events in England are becoming aware of green issues and are acting more responsibly in their businesses. But how can you be sure that businesses that ‘say’ they’re green, really are green?

Simple, use our new green accommodation and attractions search!

You might have noticed we recently added a tick-box at the bottom of the search forms on our accommodation and attractions and events pages. You can still use all the other functions on the form as normal, but if you tick the ‘green businesses’ box at the bottom, you’ll only get results for businesses that are certified ‘green’.

Who certifies green businesses?

We work with a number of reputable green accreditation schemes who assess businesses for their green credentials. VisitBritain has evaluated each of these schemes to ensure they reach the high standards expected. Those that we’ve validated as truly sustainable (green) businesses will appear on the search results page with our heart-flower logo next to their star-rating.

Any business displaying this logo has undergone a rigorous verification process to ensure that they truly represent businesses that are sustainable (green) and that a qualified assessor has visited the premises promoted on our site. 

You’ll only see our heart-flower logo on our search results pages. When you click on any of the green businesses on a search results page, or visit the location, you’ll see the logo of the participating accreditation scheme. Remember, all these schemes have been validated by VisitBritain.

Find out more about participating green accreditation schemes.

How are these businesses being green?

Any business that has been accredited ‘green’ will have implemented initiatives across its business that contribute a significant benefit to the environment and to responsible tourism.

Many of these things may be behind the scenes such as energy efficient boilers, insulated lofts or grey water recycling, but there are many fun activities that you can expect to find too.  For example, your green business should be able to advise you about traditional activities nearby, the best places to sample local food or buy craft products, or even help you to enjoy a ‘car-free’ day out.

What is Green Start?

You may come across businesses in our listings with the ‘working towards green tourism’ logo. These businesses are in a programme called Green Start and are on their way to becoming truly green places to stay or visit. 

The Green Start programme is a framework for any tourism business wishing to make an initial commitment to green tourism. It’s designed to provide operators with a springboard to accreditation by one of the VisitBritain validated accreditation schemes. By adopting Green Start, a business is signalling to visitors that it recognises the importance and value of sustainable good practice.

For more information on Green Start, including how to sign up please go to VisitBritain - Green Start (www.visitbritain.com/green)